Adjustable drum stand

ABSTRACT

A wooden collapsible drum stand that facilitates multiple sized conga drums in two modes, i.e. stand up or sit down play. The drum stand includes three leg members, a triangular main ring with three leg slots for each leg. A band or rope is used to support the base of the drum and is adjustable via a locking knob. The drum stand can accommodate accessory mounts for other percussion instruments by attachment to one or more leg members.

[0001] The present invention is a continuation-in-part of co-pendingdesign patent application Ser. No. 29/164,019 filed Jul. 17, 2003entitled CONGA STAND.

[0002] The present invention relates to musical instruments and moreparticularly to a stand for a drum that can be used for stand up and/orsit down play.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

[0003] Design patent application Ser. No. 29/164,019 filed Jul. 17, 2003entitled CONGA STAND is incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. Nos.6,040,514 and 5,335,575 are incorporated herein by reference toillustrate and describe various types of conga drums and conga drumstands, and to describe components of conga drum stands which can beincorporated into the present invention.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates to drums, and particularly standsfor drums, and more specifically to a stand for a conga drum; however,it will be appreciated that the stand of the subject invention can beused as a stand for other types of instruments.

[0005] Conga stands come in numerous and varying designs, withcomplicated embodiments resulting from the desire to make one congastand suitable for congas of varying dimensions. Due to the complexityof some prior art constructions, these conga stands are comparativelyexpensive, and quite a few musicians do not even make use of theall-purpose character of the known constructions.

[0006] One common conga drum design includes an elongated cylinder thatswells outward at its mid-line and upper barrel section and tapers atits lower end sound hole. These types of conga drums can have variousheights and widths. These differing shaped conga drums have in the pastrequired a specific type of stand for the particular type and shape ofthe conga drum.

[0007] One type of prior art conga stand is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No.6,040,514. The conga drum stand is designed to have the effect of free,stepless sliding adjustment to suit the secure positioning of differentsizes of conga drums. The conga drum stand is also designed to be easilyand quickly assembled, and be collapsible to as to not occupy muchspace, and to be lightweight to facilitate in convenient transportation.The conga drum stand is further designed to reduce the height of saidconga drum stand so that a performer can sit and play the drum withouthaving to have his legs hold the conga drum, thereby increasing thecomfort of the performer. The conga drum stand includes a ring-framedcarrier having a round hole at its center and a number of balancingblocks extending radially from its rim with a hole extending between thetrough and the channel of each balancing block. A positioning block,inserted into each of the troughs, includes a vertical locking hole inthe bock base. The locking hole is penetrated by a locking componentwith a hexagonal nut at its bottom end in the channel. The positioningblocks are configured so that they can be easily positioned in thetrough. The conga stand uses four start blocks extending from its baseto balance the conga drum. These blocks balance the drum, but do notsuspend the drum nor isolate its bottom sound hole for volume, thuslimiting a larger drum bottom sound hole area because the conga drumrests on top of the carrier's small holes. This arrangement interfereswith or slightly suffocates the drum's true potential for sound or airprojection. Furthermore, the stand does not elevate for stand up play,nor does it have support toward the drum's mid-line barrel area thusleaving the conga drum in a top-heavy position, which makes itvulnerable to toppling.

[0008] Another prior art conga stand is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No.5,335,575. The conga stand is designed to be foldable so that it takeslittle space and facilitates the setup of a conga. The conga standincludes three leg members positioned at each vertex of an almostequilateral triangle viewed in plane. Each leg member has on its upperend a presser portion to be pressed against a conga drum and on itslower end, a leg lower hinge portion. The conga stand also includesthree leg slide members attached along the respective leg members. Eachleg slide member is provided with a hinge portion and can be locked inposition. The conga drum also includes a shank member positioned atalmost the center among the three leg members and having a lower hingeportion on a lower end thereof. A shank upper slide member is attachedalong the shank member and is provided with three hinge portionscorresponding to the respective hinge portions of the leg slide memberswhich also are lockable. A shank lower slide member is provided which isattached along the shank member and includes three hinge portionscorresponding to the respective leg lower hinge portions which arelockable. Three holding stays are provided wherein both ends of eachholding stay are pivotably attached to the hinge portion of the legslide member and to the hinge portion of the shank upper slide member.Three support stays are further provided wherein both ends of eachsupport stay are also pivotably attached to the leg lower hinge portionand to the hinge portion of the shank lower slide member. Finally, threeauxiliary stays are provided wherein both ends of each auxiliary stayare pivotably attached to the middle portion of the support stay and thelower hinge portion of the shank member. This conga stand is limited tostand up style play only the conga stand also includes an elaboratearrangement of hinges central to the middle shank that protrudes intothe sound port at the bottom of the conga drum. The shank and itsrespective leg member linkage impedes on the drums true sound potential.Furthermore, the arrangement of the metal framework detract from thesmooth curvature and style of the conga drum itself.

[0009] The prior art conga stands are limited to either sit down orstand up play, but not both. These stands also impede the true flow ofair from the bottom sound hold of the drum, thereby muffling and/orinterfering with the true sound or quality of sound from the drum. Theconga drum stands are typically metal structures that detract from thenatural wood curves and style of the wooden conga drum. In view of thestate of the prior art for drum stands, especially for conga drumstands, there is a need for a drum stand that can be arranged for bothsit down or stand up play, which does not interfere with the soundquality produced by the drum, which can be easily assembled anddisassembled, and which is aesthetically pleasing so as not to detractfrom the smooth curvature and style of the drum.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention is directed to a drum stand, and moreparticularly to a reversible drum stand that can support a drum in anupright and/or sitting position. The drum stand is particularly suitedfor use with conga drums and will be described with particular referencethereto; however, the drum stand can be used with many other types ofdrums such as, but not limited to, African drums, Cuban drums, Latindrums, Spanish drums, Brazilian drums, etc. (e.g., djembe, doumbek, dundva, ashiko, baugarabous, cylinder shaped drums, etc.) The drum stand isalso particularly suited for use with wooden drums; however, the drumstand can be used to support drums made from other or additionalmaterials such as, but not limited to, metal, fiberglass, plexiglass,PVC, etc. In the past, conga drum stands were designed for performers tobatter the drumhead in a standing position. A drum stand was typicallynot used when the performer wished to sit on an chair and play the drum.In the sitting position, the drum was positioned directly on the floorwhile the performer used his both legs to secure the conga drum at aninclined angle so that the bottom side of the drum did not fully contactthe floor surface, thereby preventing suffocation of the sound from thebase of the drum. However, in the sitting position, the performertypically found such a position inconvenient. The present inventionovercomes this problem by having a design that is adaptable for use ofthe drum in a standing position or in a sitting position. As such, thedrum stand of the present invention makes the playing of a drum moreconvenient to a performer in both in the standing and the sittingposition. The drum stand of the present invention also includes anadaptable drum support that can be conveniently used to adjust thesupport to suit the different sizes of the drums, to reduce the heightof the integral drum unit and to ensure steady assembly of the drumunit.

[0011] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the drumstand includes a plurality of legs and a base or body ring that isconnectable to the legs. Typically, the drum stand includes three ormore legs. The legs are typically connectable to the base or body ringin a symmetrical orientation; however, this is not required. The base orbody ring can have many different configurations. In one non-limitingexample, when the drum stand includes three legs, the base or, body ringhas a triangular shape. In still another non-limiting example, when thedrum stand includes four legs, the base or body ring has a square orrectangular shape. The legs of the drum stand can have the same shape,or one or more legs can have different shapes.

[0012] In accordance with another and/or alternative aspect of thepresent invention, the drum stand includes one or more woodencomponents. The one or more wooden components provide better soundquality and/or are more aesthetically pleasing than metal components.The wood components can be made of a variety of woods to enhance thevisual nature of the stand.

[0013] In accordance with still another and/or alternative aspect of thepresent invention, the drum stand includes one or more reversiblyconnectable legs which are connectable to the base or body ring. Thereversible connection design for one or more legs allows the reversiblyconnectable leg to be connected in multiple orientations to the base orbody ring. In one embodiment of the invention, one or more legs has adifferent profile for a front and back face of the leg. The differingface profile of the one or more legs enables the leg to accommodatevarious sized and shaped drums and/or various drum positions in the drumstand. In one non-limiting example, the leg is oriented in a firstposition to support a drum in the stand up position and reversed to beoriented in a second position to support the drum in a sit downposition. In another and/or alternative non-limiting example, the leg isoriented in a first position to support a drum having a first size andreversed to be oriented in a second position to support the same drum ina different way or position and/or to support a different drum having adifferent shape and/or size. In one embodiment of the invention, one ormore reversible legs includes a connection arrangement that enables theone or more legs to be connected in multiple orientations on the base orbody ring. In one aspect of this embodiment, the connection arrangementincludes, but is not limited to, a tongue and groove arrangement, a nutand bolt arrangement, pin arrangement, latch lock arrangement, etc. Inanother and/or alternative embodiment of the invention, one or more legsincludes a plurality of connection arrangements to enable the one ormore legs to be connected to the base or body ring in multiple positionalong the longitudinal length of the one or more legs. In one aspect ofthis embodiment, one or more of the plurality of connection arrangementson one or more legs are positioned on different faces of the one or morelegs, or enable the one or more legs to be reversibly connected to thebase or body ring. As can be appreciated, many configurations andarrangements on the legs can be used. In another and/or alternativeaspect of this embodiment, at least one connection arrangement on atleast one leg is spaced from a bottom end of the leg a distance of about1-20% of the total longitudinal length of leg, typically about 2-15% ofthe total longitudinal length of leg, and more typically about 3-10% ofthe total longitudinal length of leg; and another connection arrangementis spaced from the bottom end of the leg a distance of about 30-80% ofthe total longitudinal length of the leg, typically about 35-70% of thetotal longitudinal length of leg, and more typically about 45-65% of thetotal longitudinal length of leg. In still another and/or alternativeembodiment of the invention, one, or more legs include a pad tofacilitate in the gripping and/or stabilization of the drum in thestand. The pad can be made of a non-abrasive material so as to minimizedamage or scratching of the drum while in the stand and/or beingpositioned in or removed from the stand. The pad can also be made of acompressible material. The pad can be positioned on one or more faces ofthe leg to maintain its function when one or more reversible legs arerepositioned on the base or body ring. In yet another and/or alternativeembodiment of the invention, a shim star is used to adjust the positionof one or more legs relative to the base. The shim star can also bedesigned to provide structural stability to the leg and to facilitate inthe connection of the leg to the base. The use of a shim star enablesthe drum stand to accommodate a wide variety of different spaced and/orsized conga drums. The shim star can have a variety of shapes and/orsizes. When the base includes one or more slots to at least partiallyreceive one or more legs, the shim star can be designed to at leastpartially fit in the slot. In one non-limiting design, the shim star hasa general star shape having three or more nodes. At least two of thenodes have a different thickness. The thickness of the node at leastpartially affects the position of the leg relative to the base. Thethinner the node, the closer the leg is to the middle of the base. Thethicker the node, the farther the leg is positioned from the middle ofthe base. In this particular configuration, the shim star is rotated tocause the desired node to be used to position the leg relative to thebase. As can be appreciated, the shim star can have otherconfigurations. In addition, the shim star can affect the position ofone or more legs in relative to the base in a number or other oradditional ways (e.g., screws, springs, etc.).

[0014] In accordance with yet another and/or alternative aspect of thepresent invention, the drum stand includes a base support system used tosupport the base of the drum. The base support system typically includesa rope or band that can be made of a wide variety of materials. In oneembodiment, the base support system includes a flexible material that isdesigned to engage the bottom or a region about the bottom of the drum.The material is typically is non-abrasive material so as not to damageor scratch the drum. Such materials can include, but are not limited to,natural and/or artificial leather materials, nylon material, rayonmaterials, cotton materials, wool materials, linen materials, etc. Inanother and/or alterative embodiment of the invention, the base supportsystem is at least partially connected to base or body ring. In stillanother and/or alterative embodiment of the invention, the base supportsystem is at least partially connected to one or more legs. In yetanother and/or alterative embodiment of the invention, the base supportsystem is at least partially adjustable so as to increase and/ordecrease the tension on the drum.

[0015] In accordance with yet another and/or alternative aspect of thepresent invention, the drum stand includes an auxiliary support systemthat is designed to support an object or device other than a drum. Suchdevices can include, but are not limited to, bells, triangle, castanets,cymbals, chimes, other drums (e.g. bongo drums, etc.), castanets, gongs,wood blocks, tray, video equipment, audio equipment, sheet music, etc.In one embodiment, the auxiliary support system is connectable to one ormore of the legs of the drum stand.

[0016] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide adrum stand that can be used to support a drum in a stand up and sit downposition.

[0017] Another and/or alternative object of the present invention is toprovide a drum stand that has one or more structural improvements overpast conga drum stands.

[0018] Still another and/or alternative object of the present inventionis to provide a drum stand having the effect of free, stepless slidingadjustment to suit the secure positioning of different sizes of drums.

[0019] Yet another and/or alternative object of the present invention isto provide a drum stand that can be easily and quickly assembled.

[0020] Still yet another and/or alternative object of the presentinvention is to provide a drum stand that can be collapsible for easyand convenient storage and will not occupy much space.

[0021] A further and/or alternative object of the present invention isto provide a drum stand that is lightweight and facilitates convenientstorage and transportation.

[0022] Still a further and/or alternative object of the presentinvention is to provide a drum stand wherein the height of the drumstand can be reduced so that the performer can sit and convenientlystrike the drumhead without having to hold the drum in position by theperformer's legs.

[0023] Yet a further and/or alternative object of the present inventionis to provide a drum stand that is easily and more conveniently used bya performer.

[0024] Still yet a further and/or alternative object of the presentinvention is to provide a drum stand having an all wood framework toaccent the drum's wooden nature. Another and/or alternative object ofthe present invention is to provide a drum stand that can supportauxiliary attachments.

[0025] Still another and/or alternative object of the present inventionis to provide a drum stand that has reversibly connectable legs.

[0026] Yet another and/or alternative object of the present invention isto provide a drum stand that is aesthetically pleasing to a performerand/or an audience and is consistent to use by a performer.

[0027] These and other objects and advantages will become apparent fromthe discussion of the distinction between the invention and the priorart and when considering the preferred embodiment as shown in theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The foregoing objects, and others, will in part be obvious and inpart pointed out more fully hereinafter in conjunction with the writtendescription of preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

[0029]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the drum stand in accordance withthe present; invention wherein the drum stand is supporting a conga drumin the stand up position;

[0030]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drum stand of FIG. 1 withoutthe conga drum;

[0031]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drum stand in accordance withthe present invention wherein the drum stand is supporting a conga drumin the sit down position;

[0032]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drum stand of FIG. 3 withoutthe conga drum;

[0033]FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the drum stand of FIGS. 1 and 3;

[0034]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the drum stand of FIG. 3 incombination with an auxiliary support unit; and,

[0035]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of bongo drums detached from theauxiliary support unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0036] Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, wherein theshowings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments ofthe invention only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention,FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a drum stand DS in accordance with the presentinvention. The drum stand in FIGS. 1 and 3 illustrate the drum standsupporting a conga drum 22 and will be described with particularreference thereto; however, the drum stand of the present invention canbe used or modified to support other types of drums. The drum stand DSis designed to suspend-mount a conga drum in the stand up or sit downpositioning. Typically the drum stand is made of non-metallic materials;however, this is not required. When a wooden framework is used for thedrum stand, the wooden framework accents the wooden nature of the congadrum, thus making the drum stand and conga drum more aestheticallypleasing. The use of wood for the drum stand also allows for personaltouches (e.g., carvings, staining, painting, etc.) to be incorporatedinto the drum stand thereby enhancing the artistic nature andaesthetically pleasing nature of the drum stand. The drum stand of thepresent invention is also designed to be adjustable to support a numberof different sized and shaped conga drums and still provide superiorstability for such drums. A wood stand provides the personal touch andcan be scrolled on, carved on, and expanded on with its artisticframework. The drum stand of the present invention is designed to bequickly and easily collapsed for compact storage.

[0037] Referring again to FIGS. 1-5, drum stand DS has a base 1 andthree leg members 2 detachably connected thereto. The base has agenerally equilateral triangle shape and the leg members are positionedat each vertex of the triangle. As can be appreciated, the base canhave-other shapes. The three legs have substantially the same shape;however, this is also not required. Base. 1 includes a base channel 20at each vertex of the triangle of the base. The base channel is designedto receive a slotted surface of the legs 2. Each of the legs areillustrated as having an upper slot 12 and a lower slot 13. The upperslot is used when assembling the drum stand for use in a stand upposition, and the lower slot is used when assembling the drum stand foruse in a sit down position. Slots 12 and 13 are designed to slidablyengage a grooved region in base channel 20 thereby securing the legs tothe base.

[0038] As best illustrated in FIG. 5, slots 12 and 13 are angleddifferently. Slot 13 is substantially parallel to the bottom edge of theleg or about perpendicular to the bottom sides of the leg. Slot 12 isangled relative to the bottom edge of the leg at about 20° or at anangle of about 70° to the bottom sides of the leg. As can beappreciated, other angles can be used for slots 12 and/or 13. The angleselected for slot 12 is such that when the leg is connected to the base,the leg angles toward the base as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The angleselected for slot 13 is such that when the leg is connected to the base,the leg sits substantially straight up as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0039] Referring again to FIGS. 1-5, each leg includes an upper presserpad 8, a lower presser pad 9 and a tip presser pad 10. The presser padscan be separate pads or a continuous pad. As can be appreciated, thepresser pad can have different configurations. The presser pad istypically connected to the top of the leg by an adhesive; however, itcan be connected in many other ways such as, but not limited to, slots,tacks, nails, Velcro, etc. The presser pad is used to protect the congadrum from scratches and damage, and to engage with the sides of theconga drum to provide stability to the conga drum while positioned inthe conga stand. The positioning of the presser pad on the front andback face of the legs facilitates in the reversible leg connections. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, the legs are positioned in the base in the standup position such that the top front face of the legs engage the sides ofthe conga drum. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the legs are positioned in thebase in the sit down position such that the top back face of the legsengage sides of the conga drum. In both these positions, the presserpads performs the protection and stability functions. The slope of thefaces of the legs are also selected to support the conga drum. The slopeof the front face is different from the slope of the back face. Theangle between the two faces is about 10-70°, and typically about 20-40°.

[0040] A drum base support arrangement is used to support the base ofthe drum in the conga stand as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. The basesupport arrangement supports the base of the drum to prevent the bottomedge and/or side of the drum to come in contact with sound hole 19 inbase 1. The sound hole has a circular shape; however, other shapes canbe used. The sound hole is inserted in the base so as to not interferewith the sound quality of the conga drum during play. As shown in FIG. 1the base of the conga drum partially or fully passes through the sound,hole, but the bottom edge and sides of the conga drum do not contact thesound hole. As shown in FIG. 3, the base of the conga drum partiallypasses through the sound hole and does not contact the bottom edge andsides of the conga drum. When the drum stand is configured for sit downplay, the base of the conga drum should not pass fully through the soundhole so as to not interfere with play of the conga drum during play.When the drum stand is configured for stand up play, the base of theconga drum can pass fully through the sound hole since the drum iselevated from the floor during play. The support arrangement includes aplurality of loops 10 that are secured to base 1. As best illustrated inFIG. 5, the loops are secured in openings 27 in the base. Six loops areillustrated as being connected to the base; however more or less loopscan be used. The loops can include a flexible material; however, this isnot required. Threaded through the loop is a flexible containment cord5. At each location wherein a leg 2 is inserted into a base channel 20,a portion of the containment cord is threaded through a hole 18 in ashim star 3 and through a hole 14 or 15 in leg 2 and secured about aknob 4. As will be further described below, thus arrangement results inthe securing of the legs to the base, the supporting of the base of theconga drum on the drum stand, and providing tension adjustment of thecontainment cord so as to properly position the conga drum in the drumstand.

[0041] As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, a shim star 3 is inserted into eachbase slot prior to inserting a leg into the base slot. The shim star isdesigned to provide structural stability to the leg and to facilitate inthe connection of the leg to the base. The shim star is also used toadjust the spacing of one or more of the legs relative to the base so asto enable the drum stand to accommodate a wide variety of differentspaced and/or sized conga drums. The shim star has various nodethicknesses as to properly adjust the leg spacing with respect to thebase. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the shim star has at least two, andtypically at least three, different nodes thickness. The shim star isrotated to cause the desired node to be used to position the legrelative to the base. A hole 18 is formed through the middle of the shimstar and is aligned with hole 14 or 15 when the leg is positioned in thebase slot. Knob 4 is used to increase and decrease the tension oncontainment cord 5 by twisting the knob. A leg groove 16 and 17 isdesigned to capture a portion of the knob and inhibit the turning of theknob after the tension of the containment cord has been set. Slot 16 isused by the knob when the drum stand is set up in the stand up positionas illustrated in FIG. 1., Slot 17 is used by the knob when the drumstand is set up in the sit down position as illustrated in FIG. 3. Ascan be appreciated, when one or more knobs are turned, the tension onthe containment cord is increased or decreased, thereby enabling thedesired adjustment of the base of the conga drum in the drum stand. Ascan also be appreciated, when the base of the conga drum is set in thecontainment cord, tension is applied to the containment cord therebycausing knobs 4 to press toward the sides of the legs. The force of theknobs on each of the legs results in the legs being secured in the basechannels. The flexible cord 5 in combination with the flexible loops 10allow for the base, of the drum to be properly oriented in the drumstand. As can further be appreciated, when the base of the conga drumneeds to be moved in a certain direction, the appropriate knob can beturned to facilitate in the desired position of the base of the congadrum.

[0042] Referring again to FIG. 5, one or more legs includes a grasp hole11 that is used to grasp the drum stand for convenient movement.

[0043] Referring now to FIG. 3, a crunch support 21 is secured onto afactory mount 25 on the conga drum. The crunch support is designed torest on the top edge of the leg to provide support to the conga drumwhen the drum stand is oriented in the sit down position.

[0044] Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, an auxiliary attachment 28 isshown. The auxiliary attachment is illustrated as supporting bongo drumBD; however, many other items can be supported by the auxiliaryattachment. The leg to which the auxiliary attachment is secured alsotypically engages crunch support 21; however, this is not required. Thecrunch support is used to facilitate in stabilizing the leg andfacilitate in maintaining the leg in the proper position when theauxiliary attachment is connected to the leg. Auxiliary attachment 28includes a channel 29 that is designed to engage slot 12 of the leg andthereby secure the auxiliary attachment to the leg. As illustrated inFIG. 6, slot 12 slopes in a manner to facilitate in the support of theauxiliary attachment of the leg. The top portion of the auxiliaryattachment includes an upper channel 30. The upper channel is designedto engage and support the bongo drums. As can be appreciated, the upperportion of the auxiliary attachment can include other designs to supportother items.

[0045] To summarize above, the drum stand includes threeinterchangeable, removable legs 2 that are connectable to and aredesigned to support base 1. Each of the legs includes pads to supportthe conga drum in different positions. The legs have two sets of slots12 and 13 that are oriented at differing angles on the legs and aredesigned for insertion into the channel 20. The legs support and suspendthe main base horizontally (about parallel to the floor). When the drumstand is arranged in'the stand up position, the legs extend past themain base ring, angling inward and upward at about 70°. The legs aredesigned to rise vertically about 90° to meet the upper belly of theconga drum when the drum stand is arranged in the sit down position. Inthe sit down position, the top edge of the one of the legs contacts acrescent shaped support 21 that is mounted on the factory mount 25 ofthe conga drum. The crescent support provides a crutch type support forthe conga drum and also provides the rigidity involved with this sameleg as it carries accessory attachments, when such attachments are used.Each of the legs contains two separate transverse holes 14 and 15 atdiffering angles from one another. The holes are designed to receive aportion of a containment cord that is used to support the bottom portionof a; conga drum. Positioned at the outer edges of the legs are verticalgrooves 16 and 17 that are used to lock respective torquing crank knobs4. One or more legs have a hole 11 that is used for grasping,articulating or positioning the assembled unit and drum. The drum standincludes three adjustment stars 3 with selective stepped spacing orwidth for each of the stars as shown in FIG. 5. The thickness of aparticular step in the star is used to properly configure the drum standfor a particularly shaped conga drum. Thicker steps will result inincreased leg spacing to accommodate larger and/or fatter conga drums.Thinner steps will result in decreased leg spacing to accommodatesmaller and/or thinner conga drums. Each star operates independently toachieve a selected drum fit. Each star is strung through its centerthrough hole 18 by the containment cord. Each star offers multiplesettings to enable a broad range of drum sizes to be supported in thedrum stand. The drum stand can include T block spacers 6 that aredesigned to be inserted within a base channel (20) and used to buffer orexpand the spacing of the shim stars in their respective channels.Slotted crank knobs 4 are used to capture the each cord at the leg'souter cord hole where the cord exits the leg. The twisting of the knobsdraw in or release the cord and V groove 16, 17 and the legs are thenused to secure the knobs in position.

[0046] Instructions for assembling and using the conga stand are setforth below.

[0047] 1. Locate the base ring. The base ring may or may not have thecontainment cords preassembled.

[0048] 2. Thread the three containment cords one at a time through eachloop hole atop the base ring.

[0049] 3. Before inserting each leg member, grasp and thread theadjustment star on to each doubled back rope/cord with flat side out asto abut the incoming leg.

[0050] 4. Insert into each of the three legs a doubled over cord.

[0051] 5. Connect a crank knob onto the protruding loop that is on theouter side of each leg. Loop the cord into the opposed eyelet slots ofthe crank knob.

[0052] 6. Initially fit and size the drum stand in accordance to eachdrum by inverting the conga drum. With the conga upside down, lift andcenter the stand on to the conga bottom. Ensure that the base of thedrum stand surrounds the sound hole of the drum and that the containmentcords are pulled back to contain the outer base portion of the congadrum. The legs should be free to slide in or out accordingly to suit theconga's barrel size. If the containment cord need to be loosened ortighten, it should be done at this point.

[0053] 7. Before tightening the cords, size the proper thickness of thestar adjuster to fill the space within the base's leg channels. Thesizes for each star adjuster channel need not be the same.

[0054] 8. Secure the drum by turning each crank knob once in successionto make sure each of the three legs is drawn tightly inward. As eachcorner of the stand tightens and more importantly on the last turn madeon each leg, try to apply even torque to each knob while pulling thedrums bottom toward the knob being tightened. Do not over tighten theknobs and allow for some initial stretching due to tightening of knobs.

[0055] 9. In the stand up mode, the height of the drum can be lowered orraised according to the spacing, i.e. the smaller spacing will raise thedrum upward and larger the spacing will cause the barrel of the congadrum to sink lower. In the sit down mode, each vertical leg membershould be vertical and not leaning or angled too far in or out, as thiscan damage the stand during tightening.

[0056] 10. The initial setup is now complete. Turn over the assembleddrum stand. After becoming familiar with the drum stand, inversion priorto assembly may not be required.

[0057] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on preferredembodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that otherembodiments can be devised and that many changes can be made in thepreferred embodiments without departing from the principles of theinvention. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly understood that theforegoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrativeof the invention and not as a limitation.

I claim:
 1. A drum stand comprising: a base having a plurality of legconnectors and a sound opening; and, a plurality of leg members, eachleg member having a presser portion adapted to engage a drum and aplurality of base connectors designed to releasably connect said leg tosaid base, each of said connectors on said legs spaced from one anotheralong a longitudinal axis of each of said legs, each of said connectorsdefining a different connection location along the longitudinal axis ofsaid leg for connection to said base.
 2. The drum stand as defined inclaim 1, wherein said drum is a conga drum.
 3. The drum stand as definedin claim 1, wherein at least said leg connector on said base includes abase slot designed receive a portion of one of said legs.
 4. The drumstand as defined in claim 3, wherein said base slot includes at leastone groove designed to receive a corresponding groove on said baseconnector of said leg.
 5. The drum stand as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid base includes three leg connectors that are substantiallysymmetrically oriented about an outer perimeter of said base.
 6. Thedrum stand as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one leg has one baseconnector spaced from a bottom end of said leg a distance of about 1-20%of the total longitudinal length of said leg, and another base connectorspaced from the bottom end of said leg a distance of about 30-80% of thetotal longitudinal length of said leg.
 7. The drum stand as defined inclaim 1, wherein at least one leg has one base connector orienteddifferently from said another base connector.
 8. The drum stand asdefined in claim 1, wherein at least one leg includes a compressiblematerial connected at least partially about the top end of said leg. 9.The drum stand as defined in claim 1, wherein said sound opening in saidbase has a cross-sectional shape selected from the group consisting ofcircular, oval, and/or ellipsoid, said opening having a cross-sectionalarea that is greater than a cross-sectional area of a base of said drum.10. The drum stand as defined in claim 1, including a supportarrangement adapted to engage a base region of said drum to at leastpartially support said drum and prevent said drum from engaging sides ofsaid opening in said base.
 11. The drum stand as defined in claim 1,wherein said support arrangement includes an adjustable tensionmechanism to adjust tension about said drum.
 12. The drum stand asdefined in claim 1, wherein said support arrangement is at leastpartially secured to at least one of said legs.
 13. The drum stand asdefined in claim 12, wherein at least one of said legs includes aplurality of openings designed to at least partially secure said supportarrangement to said leg.
 14. The drum stand as defined in claim 11,wherein said base includes a plurality of openings designed to at leastpartially secure said support arrangement to said base.
 15. The drumstand as defined in claim 13, wherein said base includes a plurality ofopenings designed to at least partially secure said support arrangementto said base.
 16. The drum stand as defined in claim 12, wherein saidsupport arrangement includes a flexible support at least partiallysecured to at least one of said legs and at least one retainer designedto limit movement of said flexible support, said at least one retainerat least partially secured to said base.
 17. The drum stand as definedin claim 16, wherein said flexible support is selected from the groupconsisting of a cord, a strap, and/or a band.
 18. The drum stand asdefined in claim 1, wherein at least one of said legs includes a graspopening.
 19. The drum stand as defined in claim 1, including a secondarydevice support design to connect to at least one of said baseconnectors, said secondary device support adapted to connect to a deviceselected from the group consisting of drums, bells, triangle, castanets,cymbals, chimes, castanets, gongs, wood blocks, tray, video equipment,audio equipment, sheet music, and/or combinations thereof.